9021One on One: Brandon Douglas

let me rephrase. Look how handsome you wantsome? Thank you? How are you to hija? Hi? It's good you well, thirty years, so so, so many years? What if the cool thing you guys are doing? Thank you. We're having a lot of fun. We have a good time. It's so fun because we get to reconnect with people like you that we haven't seen in so long. But like, where are you right now? What? What's happening in Brandon's life? I am living in Middle Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee. Nice. I

live in an area called Leeperspark. Have you seen Jason? Jason Priestly? He lives in Nashville Now. Jason lives in Nashville. Yes, he moved about a year ago. I heard Shannon is moving here because really actually kind of in the same area where where my family and I lived. No, I didn't know Jason lived here. How long did Jason live here? I think like a year? Two year? Two? Yeah. Yeah, a lot of people in there. I love it. A

lot of people in Tennessee. Why do you live in Nashville. Um, I grew up in Texas, and uh, I just wanted to get out of southern California, to be honest, and I'm just going to go to Austin and then it just got too big. Yeah, And so it was time. My youngest graduated from high school, got four kids. Four kids well at Parsons the new School, studying design and amazing. The other three or two are in college and ones out in the professional world. And so I just thought

it was time. Wow, I missed the weather. My wife really misses the weather. We're jealous you got out. We get a little bit jealous of everyone that kids. Okay, yeah, I'm almost out. I have still have a kid that's in high school. Tour is stuck here for a good number of years. She can't leave them. Somewhere else. It could be a lot. Yeah, well, okay, we wanted to talk to you about what Cassy. We're in five episodes

of the show, right, Yeah, and you came in. Were you the first KEG president or were you the second one or the third one? I'm so confused because there seemed you were the first. I mean, it's been a long time, but I think I first. Yeah. Yeah, Steve was getting hazed. Yeah I got black balled. I remember that. Yeah, and you just like leave him high and dry because you guys don't want to be involved with it. Nice, nice,

nice job. I was just I was just following the director. Wait, I have information that I'm just simply reading from our producer that you were not the first. Oh I wasn't. I feel like you were the second because he was departure of Foreign President Charlie Dixon. Mike Ryan, a senior at SeeU, becomes the president of the Caghouse, and then there was a third apparently who dat what's going on? I don't know. I know this is all new to me. Well, I guess when they graduate, you had to have someone new,

But it probably happens all the time. Right, we didn't go to college only Onto, so well, he was a senior at see you so yeah makes sense. Yeah, you're a good president. Though. I want to go out and say you were my favorite one, definitely. She hasn't remember the others, but she's going to go on a limb and say you were her favorite of the two i've seen so far. You are definitely my favorite because you're really You're kind and you have a kind spirit, and

you're very fair. And I don't know. You don't listen to John Sears that much. No, I do remember. I do remember sticking up for him and going after going after him after they they played the you know, the black ball on him and tried to get him out. I remember that. Yeah, you were a good guy. I was a good guy. I was a good guy. You're right, yeah, John Sears, Yeah, we're still mad. I mean he yeah, he mistreated my best friends here. So what happened though?

Why did you leave? Why it was it only five episodes for you? Yeah? I don't know. We do have information that your character, Mike Ryan was replaced with Jack Armstrong played Mike Ryan. Were confused, why did this happen? I have no idea, I have no idea. I was just thinking how grateful I am that they didn't just replace Kelly with three other people, because that could have happened apparently. Jeez, it's a tough business. No, no, m You started off on in TV on shows like Falcon Crest,

which I loved. I'm a huge daytime so but nighttime so predominantly, and yes, love Ferris Bueller. Ferris Bueller. Yeah, Ferris Bueller, A half hour sit come on NBC with Jennifer Anniston was actually in that. She was one of the one of the series regulars as well. Multi camera like in front of a live audience. No, it was a single camera Okay, it was not audience. It was fun, it just was not very good. Say that. And you were in one of my favorite movies, Four Keeps Left.

That movie used to be Maybe Baby. Yeah, it was a good movie, Molly, Yeah, Randall back movie, good movie. What was Class of ninety six? So I'm actually glad you brought that up. Classic ninety six was probably my most favorite thing that I was that in Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman, which which is been a huge part of

my life, which I'll get to in a second. Classic ninety six was a one hour drama and it was created by the now late Leonard Goldberg of Spelling Goldberg from obviously your Father, Yes Story and the creator of your show one and so they were partners throughout the seventies eighties and didn't dynasty in all these huge shows. Right. So Leonard created Class of ninety six and it was an East Coast version. Starting College is nine O two

one up. We did seven Box and it was just kind of didn't didn't catch on fast enough, even though you know, very passionate about that project was so long ago, but it was extremely well written. Um Peter Horton from God this is jogging back so many memories thirty something, right, thirty something, Yeah, he was the he wrote the pilot. No, he didn't write the pilot that he directed. The piloting was involved. Yeah, it was a It was a It was just really really well well done shows. Just the

timing was off. Remember that show party at five? Yeah, of course I feel like it followed us at some point of saying, vibe the same field of Class of ninety six. That's interesting. Leonard did Class of Year and then it caught on. I think we've had another year would be able to do a story of our lives if we had had another year. Yeah, but uh so, Lenard Goldberg did Class of ninety six, which is interesting because when our show was created, the working title was

Class of Beverly Hills. I remember that so wild. I remember that so that that was before you came on to play. That was before okay, and then what was after? Ano twent o? Uh so Ferris Bueller was before nine, then Class of ninety six, then nine two one? Oh. Then I think Doctor Quinn. I think Doctor Quinn Medicineman, which I was on for like almost five years. Okay, that must have been so much fun to shoot that. It was awesome. It was a period piece. It was like,

and she's the coolest. Yeah, she's so cool, She's great. She was terrific to work with. I played a young doctor on the show, so a lot of my stuff character work was with her, kind of being an apprentice. And then I ended up marrying into the family, marrying her daughter. Was I met my wife on that show? Really your your real life wife? How? How how did

you meet your wife? Her brother was a crew member and was my stand in, and also Joe Lando stand in, and so we wrote motorcycles together, and she came down to the set periodically. I lived nearby and uh yeah, so you guys shot that out in like the canyons out there, right, yeah, right off of Canyon Doom. Yeah, and I wrote I Guess in Canaan. Yeah. It was great. Yeah, that was fun. I liked watching that show. It just

sort of transported you to that time. Yeah. You know, it was so cool about that is every time I would put off the garb or you know, the wardrobe as you call it in you know, in the business, I always felt like I was like that person, like because you put on period of clothes and and you just you just take on a different Personam kind of just slid right into it. It was really cool. I had a great time doing that. We can ask you another question about nine or two on Yeah, because you

you were big at this point. Did you just get offered the role? Did you have to audition or no, I got offered the role. Yeah, okay, that's why I figured. But yeah, yeah, I feel I feel like, you know, you should have a series regular. Yeah. Yeah, well, I mean, you know, I mean, you go from you go from most series, don't become nine two z right, most series go listen. I used to say this all the time.

I look back on my career and it's you know, to get a pilot is a huge win in the business, right, and then for a pilot to get picked up for thirteen or seven or whatever, you know, that's like winning the lottery, ish on a maybe a state. And do you have a show you know, go on and become a huge hit like nine two and I was, and have the legacy that that it has is just stratosphere, right.

So I felt so blessed that I was able to go from a couple of different series um and just and just be a working actor and be able to make my livelihood with something I was, you know, so passionate about. It was I feel fortunate for that you met your wife on the set of Doctor Quinn. But then, what, like, why did you decide to sort of slow your your acting down or was it to become a dad? What?

When I was on Doctor Quinn that was my fourth series regular role, and I had then when I married Danielle, she had a two year old, so I kind of became instant dad, even though his biological father was very much in his life. Great guy. We're good friends to this day. It's terrific. But I got into my early thirties at that point, and I had been in Hollywood for you know, since I was eighteen, so I've been there for about fifteen years. And like I said, it

felt really blessed to work on a consistent basis. But I really started to loathe. I choose that word because I just hate I'm so tired of audition. I just did not want to. I did not want to potentially be an actor who was going to have to audition for everything forever, right, So I kind of I did a little forward looking. I knew I wanted a big family. I knew that we wanted to start having more kids right away. So I started thinking, Okay, if I'm forty years old, am I going to be happy doing what

I'm doing? The wave life is knowing what the process is as an actor, and if you don't embrace that process that, let's face so, there's so much competition here're not going to work, right. So I started this company that I still have twenty three years later as a hobby while I was on the set. Unrelated it's in technology, unrelated to Hollywood acting. Has nothing to do with it whatsoever, because I had a lot of downtime, you know, being a serious regular on that show. I worked like four

days here at three four days off. Fast forward to that started to take off as that show got canceled finally, and then I just randled it and I'd never looked back. And I've done some Doctor Quinn TV movies, Growing Pains movie, I did a few other TV things here and there, But I really, honestly, I'm not in front of a camera in fifteen seventeen years A long time, are we

the first? Wait? Tell us about your company. I am so impressed that you did this and like admirable, So like Mark, make a choice and not not play the game anymore. Just he did it on the side at the same time, we should have like starting a business on the side while you're still in the think of it. That's what's awesome. Because yeah, sorry, yeah, um tell us about it. Called Tier One Technologies. It's a it's a

computer product component electronic component distribution business. UM. I was really involved in in the stock market at the early stages of the dot com boom, and so I met a lot of people and I got some really strong contacts in computer world ish type companies, and so I had access to just some good relationships that i'd established and started a distribution business from that, and then it just kind of grew into you know, um all types

of relationships with automotive, gaming, medical, UM. I get to use my brain, you know, I mean, which I wish, not that you didn't use my brain as an actor as I did, but I kind of feel like I get to do some of both. I missed this though a lot. I missed the creative aspect. It's also one of the reasons why I wanted to come to Tennessee. I kind of want to kind of wanted to reinvent myself a little bit as well. So I'm still trying

to figure out. I've only been here for a year, so I'm still trying to figure out I can give my business from it. And they shoot a lot of stuff in Nashville. So they shoot a lot of stuff in Nashville. I say, yeah, you still, I think you should get back in there. We'll see, we'll see. Maybe it's maybe maybe maybe in in you know, producing, or I can get involved with the project that I could, you know, maybe help raise money and something or an independent put myself in a role that would be that

would be of interest for sure. We'll see. Okay, so you did all these great shows. You said your favorite was probably Doctor Quinn, which I understand. Why what what when you kind of stopped acting, were people still recognizing you? And what were they recognizing you from? Like what's the character that people sort of stuck with? Probably Doctor Quinn? Yeah, not nine two and well it wasn't on it long enough. Yeah, there was, I mean there was, you know what was

great about nine or two? And as far as when you talk about recognizing if somebody would, I used to get this a lot, and I didn't become, you know, a household name where people know Tori Spelling and Jenny Garth or Jason or Luke or any of you all that were, you know, on sets an iconic show. But I had this you look really familiar, like I know you some kind of always had this luxury if you want to call it that, I don't know of. Yeah, Hi,

I'm Brandon Douglas and I was on this show. Or they would say I know, I know you from the show, and then I could finish the conversation or I could just say yeah, I've heard that and know I look like that guy, but it's I do that. I still do that. Yeah, I like to use that one like, yeah, I get that a lot. I hear that from people.

It's funny. Yeah, it's fun So it was always cool to be able to say nine or two and oh, because as soon as I would say that rat president, then they knew that mark of that character in the episode. And Steve and because you know, you guys going to college was a big part of the show. Was bought in high school was high school, but then it took on a whole different twist once you guys went to college, so it was cool. Well, we're so glad you were a part of it. Let me just say that, thank you.

You really did. You did a great job part of our legacy. So thank you, Yes, thank you. I appreciate comment. Thank you, So Brandon, before you go, there's always internet things about your character. But it is super interesting that this other actor comes in to take over. I don't know why they didn't just make it a different Keig House member, but can you remember at all the time when you left and they bring in this other guy and then it becomes sort of a big president. Mike

is gay, and Steve I think, actually outs him. We haven't gotten to that yet, but I'm just wondering if they recast it, like, why were you working how communic continue? I must have been working on something else because I was a contract actor. I didn't have like a, you know, a regular role, even though I had a block of episodes. I remember, I remember hearing about that. But I must have been involved in another job at that point because it was way later in the season. Yeah, it wasn't

consecutive for sure. That was definitely not part of the character arc that I was. I remember being involved. I mean it was something somebody else when you're talking about it, yeah, exactly. So they bring it this but the same character, same character, same character, and then he suddenly gets sort of this more prominent storyline that has all these complexities which I won't get into because we haven't rewatched it yet. But and then suddenly it's this new guy. But we're all

supposed to think it's sort of the same guy. And that's not the only time that's happened. That's happened the other time. I don't know, I don't know. Yeah, they should have just made it a different character. Why would they do that to the audience. I don't know. Yeah, Brandon Ugless, you were delightful. Yes, so happy to reminisce with you. You guys both look great. Thank you. I've never been to Nashville, always wanted to go, so hopefully let's go visit. I want to go. We have to

come out. Come out. If you like live music, it's a great spot. Love it always there's always something going on. Well, be well, love to your family and excited to see what happens next for you. That's great. I appreciate it. Great to see both of you. Bye, thank you. Hi. That was fun, right, it's so fun. Yes, it's like the same thing they did, you guys with Jack McKay.

Remember Josh Taylor was not in the first McKay. Yeah, right, So it seems like a similar situation, like maybe the you know, the first guy either wasn't great or like was busy. But they don't want to change the character and that all the time. They do that with your dad, what, Donna, that's how was your dad? Oh, maybe it's my dad too, but I know it was your dad too. Oh, my mom and your mom, your the heck, yeah, because I heard. But this is kind of the reverse. That's the only

thing stimes. They think a character is going to be smaller, so they just hire someone like, you know, for that one episode. It's not a big part. But then when the character gets big, they want to get someone else. So that's kind of the reverse of how it happened with Brandon Douglas. Just it's just weird though, that they would take the keg President and have him on for

five episodes. He's prominent, everybody knows his face, he's a good guy, and then a few episodes later they decide, hey, let's go back and bring that character back and make him gay. Why just face with a new face, especially a notable actor that was offered this job because he wasn't notable after people saw him in a lot of stuff. You're right, they should have said the character of Mike Ryans moved away and like when you go see a play, yeah, totally.

Isn't that what they do on soap operas. The character of Drake Romano is now being played by Drake Romano a real I don't know, Oh my god, that's Joey's character and friends on the soap opera of Days of Our Lives doctor Drake right, no, no, oh my god, who's Dedre Hall's husband on Days of Our Lives? Uh? Roman Roman played by multiple people and then somehow both the actors were available and they let them both be on it as different characters. Yeah, but anything goes Drake

who's the host or whatever? His name was Roman, and then there was John Black but it was really the same dude, Like, yeah, an original Roman was played awesome by Josh Taylor, who was around I mean, Jake, Okay, you're still thinking about Maur's place totally. I actually have been thinking about it a lot. I know we have to go, but a lot of people are asking for Melrose rewatch from us, which I'm like, I am, I'm out about it, but just saying, you know, my heart

was in that. I got to say, even though I was working all the time and didn't get to watch much, I like really was into Melour's place with my friends, like really into it the same. That's so funny. Jenny's computer just crashed. That's just giving me by